Article
12 min read
Author
Gabriele Culot
Published
March 25, 2024
Last Update
July 08, 2024
Table of Contents
What is scalable workforce planning (and why is it important)?
1. Develop a remote work infrastructure
2. Streamline talent acquisition and management
3. Foster inclusion and collaboration
4. Set up for flexibility and innovation
5. Fine-tune performance management and remote leadership
Supercharge your organization’s global workforce planning with Deel
Expanding operations to a global scale is often a crucial step in gaining a competitive advantage, but it comes with its unique set of challenges, especially for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) that may have limited resources and expertise.
Navigating the complexities of building a global team, particularly in a remote setting, requires a strategic approach to workforce planning from leadership and human resources managers. In this blog post, we’ll explore scalable business strategies tailored for SME HR teams aiming to expand their global footprint efficiently and effectively.
Before diving into specific strategies, it’s crucial to understand the essence of scalable workforce planning. Scalability is the ability to expand or adapt operations seamlessly in response to changing demands or growth opportunities. For SMEs venturing into new markets on the global stage, scalability is not just a luxury but a necessity for sustainable growth.
Effective workforce planning in this context involves:
With the right strategies, SMEs can build resilient and high-performing global teams without exhausting their resources while still being ready to grow rapidly when needed.
Deel success stories
I can’t imagine having to open up an entity in a certain city just to be able to hire someone. Deel solves a real problem, and up to now, we’ve been very happy with the service
—Elias Ek,
Co-founder, Keego
A robust remote work infrastructure is crucial for SMEs venturing into global expansion. A well-planned remote infrastructure is the backbone of scalability, enabling seamless integration of talent from different regions and ensuring operational efficiency in different regions. Moreover, investing in remote infrastructure can also be essential for driving and retaining top talent in today’s digital age, where remote work is increasingly prevalent.
The keyword here is infrastructure. Simply shifting meetings to Zoom is not enough; it’s important that the tools and processes you select to support your transition to global remote work interact in synergy and are part of a conscious restructuring rather than ad hoc solutions for specific needs.
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While beneficial across various scenarios, a remote work infrastructure is indispensable for SMEs planning to expand globally, as it helps access a global talent pool and reduces the cost of managing multiple physical locations in each region of operations.
Expanding operations globally demands a robust recruitment strategy that includes filling vacancies strategically, sourcing, assessing, and onboarding talent from diverse regions to foster innovation, adaptability, and competitiveness in compliance with local labor laws. Moreover, it’s about maximizing employee retention and meeting evolving needs through reskilling and upskilling initiatives.
Leveraging a global talent pool is essential for SMEs to thrive in today’s hyperconnected international marketplace and be ready to embrace the future of work.
While always beneficial, a streamlined talent management strategy is especially important for companies facing rapid growth or needing to quickly pivot to new services, products, regions, or customers.
In the context of global expansion, fostering a culture of inclusivity and cultural competence is vital for SMEs aiming to cultivate successful global teams. Cross-cultural training and diversity initiatives create an environment where diversity is embraced, differences are respected, and varied perspectives are leveraged for innovation and collaboration.
Investing in these initiatives lays the groundwork for cohesive and high-performing global teams that thrive in multicultural settings and have a deep understanding of the nuances of specific markets, demographics, and their interactions.
While always necessary, a strategic focus on inclusion and collaboration is especially important for companies with multicultural teams that are not regionally focused and for companies that are in the initial stages of setting up remote collaboration.
For SMEs expanding globally, adopting a flexible organizational structure and going beyond traditional hierarchies to create a dynamic environment is imperative, as it enables swift responses to market changes, embraces innovation, and delivers value to customers.
By embracing agile principles, SMEs can foster cross-functional collaboration, decentralize decision-making, and adapt rapidly to evolving market dynamics, driving growth and success in the global marketplace.
While suitable for dynamic industries or fast-growing startups, agile organizational structures may pose challenges in highly regulated or hierarchical environments. However, with proper planning and stakeholder buy-in, even traditionally structured organizations can benefit from these principles.
Effective performance management and remote leadership development are pivotal for fostering accountability, engagement, and productivity within distributed teams. This goes beyond traditional performance appraisal; it’s about establishing a framework aligning individual and team goals with organizational objectives, filling skill gaps in the current workforce, fostering transparency and continuous feedback, and equipping leaders with skills to manage remote teams across diverse cultures and geographies.
Deel success stories
"Deel Engage is our go-to platform for all things talent management, saving us up to 180 hours in feedback processes alone."
—Caroline Randazzo,
Head of Human Resources and Recruitment, Aquatic
Performance management is important for all organizations in any circumstances. On the other hand, remote leadership development is vital for remote or distributed teams where physical proximity isn’t feasible or is not part of the overall company strategy.
Expanding globally presents both opportunities and challenges for SMEs, but building scalable and high-performing global teams can be easy with the right strategies and tools.
Deel success stories
Deel gives us access to hiring people in a compliant way, anywhere. Those are people that we wouldn’t have been able to hire without Deel, as we wouldn’t be able to open an entity in every country where we wanted to hire someone. It also enables us to be close to our customers, they are all over the world, so we need to be there too.
—Sanna Westman,
Head of People, Planhat
Deel offers a host of solutions to support organizations in their expansion to the global marketplace and the future of work. From visa support and EOR solutions to help you secure the best talent anywhere you may need, to a full HR suite designed around the needs of companies operating globally and remotely.
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